International Polar Year Web Portal Offers E-mail Alerts for Educators
The U.S. government's International Polar Year Web portal is available
at:
http://www.ipy.gov
For further information, please go to:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=108984
Teachers can now sign up for e-mail alerts immediately informing them
when news about federally funded educational materials, classroom
resources, and information about opportunities to assist scientists in
the field is added to the U.S. government's Web portal for the
International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008.
Launched in February 2007, the newly redesigned interagency portal now
offers two RSS (short for Real Simple Syndication) feeds to the public
- one on "news and features" and one on "educational resources." Once
users have set up their computers to read the RSS feeds, they
automatically will receive e-mails as new links are added to the portal.
Directions for subscribing to the RSS feeds are available at:
http://www.ipy.gov
IPY is a global scientific campaign that began in March 2007. It
promises to advance our understanding of how the Earth's remote Polar
Regions affect global climate systems, to bring about fundamental
advances in many areas of science, and to fire the enthusiasm of young
men and women for careers in science and engineering. The National
Science Foundation (NSF) is the lead federal agency for IPY and
maintains the IPY portal.
Current offerings in the ipy.gov "Explore and Learn" section include
links to:
- the "NASA Polar Express," the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's storehouse of multimedia information about the Polar
Regions of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars;
- a collection of images and illustrations of seals and whales
maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
National Marine Mammal Laboratory; and
- a link to NSF's award-winning website on the Amundsen-Scott South Pole
Station.
Other items include links to:
- the NSF-funded ARMADA Project, which allows K-12 teachers to
participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research;
- lesson plans about Antarctica for students in grades 3-5 and 6-8
developed by the Boston National Public Radio affiliate in conjunction
with a reporter's visit to the Antarctic Peninsula; and
- a U.S. Geological Survey site that contains animations explaining how
scientists track animal migrations in Alaska.
The IPY portal also lists "Events and Exhibits" including a June 2007
workshop at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center on
"Teaching About the Cryosphere." A separate section provides images of
IPY posters produced by federal agencies and federally funded research
centers and links that allow teachers to download the posters for use in
the classroom.
Media Contacts:
Peter West, NSF
Phone: 703-292-7761
E-mail: pwest [at] nsf.gov
Media Advisory 07-015